for SATB unaccompanied A mystical, atmospheric carol for Epiphany, The Wise Men and the Star sets a text by contemporary writer Lucia Quinault that depicts the journey of the wise men as they follow the star. Tarney's appealing musical language creates a sense of expectancy, and there are beautiful moments of stillness and quiet that enable the listener to reflect on the wonder of the events of the season.

for SSSSAATBB unaccompanied In this haunting arrangement of the well-known carol, Higgins creates a mystical soundscape by layering a single motif in a four-part soprano canon. These repetitions echo throughout and support the various textures explored in each verse, producing a dramatic and atmospheric setting of the Basque carol. Suitable for chamber and concert choir.

for SSATB and piano Reginald Unterseher has adapted his much-loved lower-voice arrangement of this well-known hymn by John Adam Granade for mixed-voice choir. The arching vocal lines are accompanied by a rhythmic, undulating piano part evocative of the rivers the hymn-writer describes.

for SATB unaccompanied This is a warm and contemplative setting of the medieval Latin hymn, suitable for communion services or for Lent, Passiontide, or Corpus Christi. Built around harmonic sequences and an appealing opening phrase, and with a gently romantic feel, Parry's setting offers a charming alternative to more familiar settings of these words.

for SATTBB unaccompanied Victimae paschali laudes is an atmospheric arrangement of the traditional plainsong melody for this Latin text for Easter Sunday. Changing metres enable an authentic presentation of the plainsong style, and Lawson effectively employs interjections of 'alleluia' within the main body of the text as a powerful expression of the triumph of life over death that is at the heart of the Easter story.

for unison or 2-part choir and organ or piano This setting of the well-known hymn text 'Christ the Lord is risen again!' features bright vocal lines and an energetic accompaniment. The scoring is flexible, allowing performance with either one or two vocal parts made up of upper, lower, or mixed voices. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems.

The archconfraternity of SS. TrinitA was one of the less well-known institutions for musical patronage in sixteenth-century Rome. Yet in focusing on its activities in the period 1550-1650, this book sheds light on networks of urban patronage that were equally important in commissioning the sacred music of the period as the Cappella Pontificia and the Cappella Giulia at St Peter's. Not only did SS. TrinitA provide Palestrina with his only known major involvement in sacred music outside the Cappella Giulia after 1571 it also employed at some time or another every major composer active in the city. Noel O'Regan discusses the importance of SS. TrinitA in the sphere of Roman sacred music during this period and the ways in which this music was affected by social and religious factors in the play for power and prestige in post-tridentine Rome.

This companion volume provides organists with new, dedicated three-stave accompaniments to twenty-four of the twenty-eight choruses in the main Sacred Choruses volume. In every case, these organ transcriptions, made by John Rutter, are based directly on the original orchestral versions and will facilitate church performances without orchestra.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano This sombre and evocative 'Stabat mater' is taken from Passion Music, a concert and liturgical work that continues Todd's fusion of jazz and choral music so successfully blended in his Mass in Blue. The delicate piano part often falls away to spiritual a cappella sections, and a soaring line for solo soprano rises out of the texture to draw the setting to a close.

for SATB unaccompanied This short sacred work for unaccompanied mixed choir is a highly atmospheric setting of the poet Henry Vaughan's mystical and enigmatic poem of the same name. Written for the choir of St Peter's College, Oxford, the work has a sonorous quality and uses extended harmonies to great effect.

for SATB and organ or orchestra This is an arrangement of the 19th-century hymn by Philip Bliss, with words written by Horatio Spafford following several personal tragedies. Despite having lost his first son to scarlet fever, most of his assets in the Great Fire of Chicago, and then his four daughters in a shipwreck, Spafford's enduring faith inspired him to write this hymn, which speaks of an internal, spiritual calm in the face of life's difficulties. Wilberg's arrangement of Bliss's tune keeps the first two verses in unison, first women and then men, before allowing fuller textures to take over. The choir is accompanied throughout, and two upward major 3rd modulations lead to a triumphant close.

for SATB unaccompanied Aspire to God, my soul sets a macaronic text by Canon John Dilnot, with the titular words recurring throughout the setting as an emphatic refrain. This short anthem is optimistic and uplifting in tone, with frequently changing time-signatures that convey a rhythmic fluidity and the flexibility to follow the declamation of the words.

for SSATB unaccompanied This simple and exquisite miniature keeps the text, the fourth-century Latin Hymn to the Virgin Mary, at the fore, with instructions from the composer to accent the melodic lines according to word stress rather than position in the bar. The musical style is a fusion of old and new, with plainchant-like melodies and tonality set against expressively dissonant contemporary harmonies. Tota pulchra est was recorded by The Epiphoni Consort on the CD David Bednall: Sudden Light (Delphian, DCD34189)

for SATB and organ or piano Chilcott's setting of St Benedict's sixth-century prayer begins with a gentle recurring figure in the keyboard, graduallly building to a rousing climax. The primarily homophonic texture allows the timeless text to shine through, while the expansive vocal writing and expressive use of harmony create a sense of awe towards the Almighty God.

for SATB and organ Chilcott's setting of Psalm 96 is bright, optimistic, and celebratory. The sparkling organ part and fluctuation between 7/8 and 4/4 metres give the opening and closing sections a dance-like feel, while the central section is still, soft, and reflective.